456 Headliner Removal

Since the previous thread was closed, I figured I would add some pics and info on the headliner removal. To get the headliner out, you have to remove the rear seat lowers and uppers so you can access the bolts to remove the side panels in the rear seat area outboard of the seats. Once these are out you will see the phillips screws near the rear 1/4 window. Leave these for now.

Remove the plastic lenses from the front and rear interior lights. If you look closely you will see two small rectangular slots at the rear edge where the lense meets the frame. Place a small screwdriver in the slot and gently lever it away from the lense; this will depress the clip allowing the lense to move down. Switch between the two slots to fully remove the lense. Benhind this, you will find three screws - remove them and pull the frame down, disconnecting the wire harness.

You will now see the screws (3) holding the center panel to the roof. Remove these. Be careful removing the center panel as there is a clip in the center, you need to move the panel to the rear to disengage it. The clip is shown in the center of the first picture.

This will expose a series of screws holding the left and right panels to the roof. At this point, you need to remove the sun visors and the clips they attach to. The clips have a plastic cover over the screw - use a small screwdriver to pry both sides out and it will disengage. The cover will then rotate down on a rear seam (hinge) and you can access the screw. Remove the screws at the rear of the panel around the 1/4 window on both sides.

Sitting in the driver's seat, you will note that the window moulding overlaps the roof panel. Gently pull this back and you will find 4 screws. Undo these on both sides. Then remove the center screws, holding the panel and taking care not to lose the spacers in the between the panel and the roof itself. All that is left is to remove the panel. Mine did not want to come out as it had become glued to the windshield sealant that had bled out along the seam. Be firm with it and it will come out. You can apply a fair amount of pressure pulling straight down as there is a return to give the front edge some depth. Some further pictures:
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Here is one more of the headliner area. I will post more when I get the pieces back from the upholsterer. It turns out the leather on all of them was not salvageable...

The blue tape is to hold the wiring harness in place allow me to continue to drive the car while the work is being done.
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As with the headliner, it starts with the rear seats. Once you get them out (bottoms and rears) you can remove the center consol for the rear. Lift the cover of the consol to expose the inner liner. There are two screws holding this in; they don't technically hold the consol down, but they will be buried in the insulation underneath an it will tear without this step. There are four nut/washer/lockwasher combinations holding the consol down. Remove these and then lift up the consol, taking care to disconnect the wiring to the lighter and lamp. It is a good time to repair the ashtray door if yours won't close - it is the snap clip and they are cheap...

Once the consol is removed you will be looking at the nuts holding the headrest panel on. Remove these and pull up on the assembly and it will come out. You can now access the two screws at the front of the center section in the package area. Before you do anything with this, remove the speaker covers. This will allow you to access the mounting screw for the package area fiberglass panel behind it. Remove these. Now you can remove the third brake light. There is a screw below the housing in the center. Once this is removed, the housing should slide straight back. You can then unclip the connector for the harness. Then remove the two screws at the forward end of the center panel; once they are out, pull straight back to allow the rear clip to come free of the body.

The package pieces are easy from here, just remove the screws along the center and a gentle tug will set them free...

The first pic below shows the rear of the car, with lightly red-circled areas where the mounts are. The secnd pic shows the headrest panel from the rear. Note the clip in the center and the mounting features.
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Further pic of rear center panel, note the hole to the far left for the pin in the third brakelight, the clip just to the right of this that engages a feature in the body, followed by the clip-nut for the third brake light. On the far right are the two holes for the forward mounting.
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